The upper house of parliament has rejected the idea of a nationwide ban on the Islamic face veil and other face coverings.
The draft bill, which was narrowly passed by the lower house last September, was opposed by the senate after a debate on Thursday, reported news agencies.
The proposal by hardline Swiss People’s Party (SVP) MP Walter Wobmann called for a federal ban on the burqa, niqab and other full face coverings in public, along the same lines as a cantonal ban that came into effect in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino in July last year.
In March Wobmann launched a popular initiative to that effect, which has until September 2017 to gather the required 100,000 signatures to take the issue to a referendum.
On Thursday the senate followed the recommendation of a commission on the subject which advised against implementing a ban nationwide, saying it was not necessary since so few people in Switzerland wear the veil. [The Local] Read more
